GEORGE TOWN, Oct 23 -- Penang is set to become one of six states to be 5G ready in the second half of 2020 following the implementation of the 5G demonstration project which started this month to March next year.
Penang Housing, Local Government, Town and Country Planning Committee chairman Jagdeep Singh Deo today said the demonstration project would focus on manufacturing, tourism and smart city agenda as Penang is among the leading states in these categories.
"We already have a number of applications in place under the smart city initiatives. You don’t have to wait for a certain time for the infrastructure to be set up before you test it with 5G because it (the infrastructure) is already in existence (in Penang),” he told a press conference here.
He said among the smart city initiatives that had been implemented in the state were the Penang Digital State Library, the country’s first Islamic Library, Asia’s first Terragraph wireless broadband technology project, facial recognition closed circuit television and smart parking system.
“With all the applications in place, the time frame (to initiate the 5G demonstration project in Penang) can be drastically reduced and will make this entire project a success,” he said, adding that the other tasks involved identifying locations to set up 5G transmitters in the state.
Apart from Penang, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) had also announced recently that other states selected for 5G demonstration project were Kedah, Perak, Terengganu, Selangor and Kuala Lumpur.
The project is to facilitate, develop and expand the potentials of 5G applications in realtime to drive the growth of 5G ecosystem in the country.
Jagdeep said the 5G technology would not only be utilised in the wake of the Fourth industrial Revolution (IR4.0) but would also spur the emergence of more start-ups and small businesses to create products and services that were not thought of previously.
Meanwhile MCMC Digital Industry Development and Commercialisation chief officer Gerard Lim Kim Meng said the commission was looking forward to the success of the demonstration project in Penang, particularly in enhancing the state’s economic and social achievements.
“Certainly 5G is more than just a faster smartphone experience. It is also about providing better connectivity and digital transformation which could lead us to create another step ahead for Penang,” he added.